Midsummer Drawing
by Wendy McCalister
Summary: And when his lips touched hers, he could have sworn it was magical.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** And when his lips touched hers, he could have sworn it was magical.

 **Midsummer Drawing**

The first time Shuichi met Botan was during mid-summer.

It had been one of those rare days where he actually got unlucky.

He was on a road trip with his friends, but had gotten separated with them. To make matters worse, he missed his bus and now he was stuck in an unknown village where no one seemed more than welcoming.

"Excuse me," he called to a stranger wearing round spectacles, "Do you know where the convenience store is?" he asked, suddenly feeling a little thirsty and needing a cold drink.

The man gave him a strange look, one hand reaching to push his spectacles over the bridge of his nose. "Are you lost, missy? If you are, I can keep you some company."

Shuichi scrunched his nose in discomfort. This man was another one of those sickos who thought he was a girl and tried to make pathetic attempts to flirt with him. Granted, he had long red hair, and his features were more feminine than most boys his age, but his figure should have been enough to give away that he was _not_ a girl.

After refusing the pervert's advances, Shuichi went and sat on one of the benches at the bus stop. He heaved a sigh. The next bus to Tokyo wouldn't be here for the next seven days, and he was left with no choice but to stay here. But, of course, that wasn't possible. He could walk, but who knows how long that would take? Not to mention, it was terribly hot. He hated the summer, mostly for the reason being that he hated the hot weather. How could anyone enjoy this season of the year?

It wasn't until he felt something cold touch the warmth of his cheek that he broke out of his trance.

"What—" He cut himself short when he looked up to see a smiling girl, her long sky blue hair tied up in a high ponytail. Her eyes were closed, so he did not see them. But when she spoke, she opened them, and he could have sworn she had the most beautiful shade of purple he had ever seen.

"I thought you might need this," she said, handing him a cold can of soda. He stared at the drink, unsure if he should take the stranger's generous offer. He wasn't the kind of person who would willingly accept handouts from others, but considering that his throat was dry as it was, he took it out of her grasp.

Opening the can, Shuichi brought it to his lips, sipping the contents before peering up at her with a questioning gaze. She seemed to catch on to the silent question, and laughed. "I saw you asking that pervert a while ago and I kind of felt sorry for you, so I went ahead and bought one for you." She took a seat right beside him, her hand opening her own can of soda. "I didn't know what I should get you, so I figured I might as well choose soda. I didn't make the wrong choice, did I?"

He shook his head. He didn't really care; he was grateful that he had something to satisfy his thirst. They sat like that for some time, engulfed in total silence, until she broke it off and Shuichi realized that his drink felt light. "I've never seen you around here before," she stated, "Where are you from?"

Shuichi threw the can of soda into a trash bin as instantly as he finished it. His initial intentions were to thank the girl and take his leave, but at her question, he knew he couldn't just stalk off without seeming impolite.

"Tokyo," he answered simply. "I was here with my friends but we got separated a while ago."

"Oh. When are you seeing them again?"

"Don't know. I missed my bus."

She blinked, and for a moment, he realized that he was telling all of this to a complete stranger. All of a sudden, he felt uncomfortable and somewhat embarrassed at himself. This kind of thing didn't normally happen.

"The next bus to Tokyo isn't until a week, right?" she asked, and he nodded his head in response. A smile curled at the edge of her lips. "Then, in that case, you can stay at my place for the time being."

For once, he blinked stupidly. "Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

"Oh. Uh… nothing. It's just… why are you doing this for me?"

She laughed, and he could have sworn the sound was like jingle bells as it reached his ears. "I don't know. I guess it's just not in my nature to abandon a person in need."

He blinked, dumbfounded, and watched as she stood up and kicked her empty can of soda into the trash bin. She turned to look at him once more. "I never really got your name. What is it?"

Whoever this person was, she seemed to be getting the wrong idea. He hadn't agreed to her offer yet. He hadn't even said much to her anyways. She was a stranger, and yet she was letting him stay at her house. It didn't make any sense, and he was supposed to be suspicious of her. He didn't normally do stuff like this, but when she asked him his name, with her lips pulled up in that bright smile, he couldn't help but blurt it out.

"I'm Shuichi. Shuichi Minamino."

* * *

"What are those?"

Shuichi shifted his attention from arranging his shoes neatly at the entrance to the girl asking him the question. He blinked at her, wondering what she meant. She pointed her finger at what he was holding in his right hand.

He followed her gaze, and realized what she was talking about. "Oh. These are drawing materials."

"Are you an artist or something?" she continued to question him as they strolled through the hallway. Shuichi kept his face blank as he answered,

"You can say that."

"What do you usually draw?"

"Anything that catches my attention, I guess."

"Oh." Her mouth formed an 'o' in understanding, before shifting to a warm and friendly one. "I would like to see your drawings one day."

Shuichi wasn't exactly sure if he would show his art to her, but he chose to be as curt as possible. "Perhaps you will. Someday."

She didn't seem to catch the lack of sincerity in his voice as she nodded her head enthusiastically. Silence engulfed the two of them as they entered the living room where Shuichi dropped all his bags, causing the boy to grow unusually uncomfortable. He wasn't a fan of small talk, but he found the tense air surrounding them unbearable.

"What do you do?"

She seemed startled as he spoke, as if she hadn't expected him to say anything. Her shock died down as it was quickly replaced by a smile. "Well, I'm not exactly doing anything as of now. I got fired from my last job and now I'm looking for a new one."

"Oh." Shuichi suddenly found himself sympathizing with the girl. "What did you work as?" He wasn't sure why he was even asking her; it didn't really matter to him.

Her smile seemed to broaden. "I worked as a waitress."

Shuichi momentarily thought she would look amazing in a maid outfit, before quickly brushing off the image from his head. A rosy shade colored his cheeks, and he watched as she turned and excused herself to the kitchen to make them some tea. It took him a moment before he realized he forgot something.

"Wait!" He didn't mean to scream, but he did, and when she spun around to fix that adorable smile on him, he could have sworn his blush reddened. "Uh…" He darted his eyes to his feet for a moment, before lifting his head to meet her gaze again. "What's your name?"

The light seemed to radiate off of her as she gave him a grin.

"It's Botan Fukuyama. A pleasure to meet you…" and then her friendly grin took on a more teasing and mischievous approach, "... Shuichi-kun."

* * *

Shuichi stirred and turned on the couch, only to find himself having difficulty to sleep. He was uncertain of the reason, but he guessed it must be due to the reason he was in a stranger's house. Seriously, what the hell was he doing here? He didn't even know Botan. And she didn't even know him. He should have left hours ago.

But, this was better than sleeping out in the streets, he decided. The thought caused him to close his eyes once again, attempting to get a tad bit of slumber so he could get up early in the morning. He didn't have any work to do, but he was never the kind who woke up in late afternoon.

His eyes shot open in surprise as he heard his ringtone echo in the air, causing him to sit up on the couch. Looking up, Shuichi reached for his beeping cell phone, flicking the lid open and blinking as Yusuke's bright numbers glared at him through the blinding screen. He had received a text from his delinquent-ish friend.

 _Hey, man. How are you doing? Sorry for the late night text. I just got a phone call from your step dad that you weren't back home yet. So, I got worried about you._

Shuichi's eyebrows furrow at the words written on the message. He must have forgotten to inform his step father of what happened. His family must be worried sick over him. Tapping on the buttons, he told Yusuke that he missed his bus and that he was staying at a nice person's place. He also reminded Yusuke to tell his family about this as he didn't want them to be concerned over nothing. Yusuke was quick to ask if the nice person was a girl, and Shuichi was quick to ignore him, setting his cell phone back to its original place on the wooden table.

He could have sworn he nearly felled off the couch as a voice disrupted the utter silence in the living room, "Who were you texting?"

He rotated his head to the right to see Botan, her hair tied in a messy bun, gazing at him with sleepy eyes, although there was evidently an amused smirk etched on her pink lips. He wasn't sure if she was laughing at him, or if she found him genuinely amusing, but he blushed all the same at the teasing stare, before shifting his eyes to the boring wall. "N-no one," he finally replied, albeit he stumbled over his words. He could hear the sound of rustling, as if she was walking towards him, and felt a hand lightly tap his shoulder. He peered at her again; relieved to see that she was no longer smirking at him.

"Can't sleep?" she asked, and he mutely nodded his head. "Me too," and she smiled.

When she strolled from the back of the couch to the front and sat beside him, Shuichi could finally see the state of dress she was in. It had been dark so when she first greeted him that night, he couldn't catch sight of anything. But, now that she was up close, Shuichi realized she was wearing a lacy white night dress, the hem reaching just above her knees. Although, what his gaze seemed to linger on was her bare skin, one of the straps having slipped off her shoulder to reveal her soft, flushed flesh. Another blush crept up his cheeks, reddening his ears, as she suddenly turned to look at him. He quickly looked away, inwardly wishing to himself that she didn't catch him staring. However, at the slight playful, lopsided grin on her lovely features, he knew that things couldn't possibly be that convenient.

He was fortunate she didn't say anything, though.

"You hungry?" she suddenly asked, and he shook his head as a no.

"Are you?" he inquired back at her.

She smiled. "Not really. I just thought you were famished so I figured that I might as well cook something for you if you were."

His eyebrow quirked at her in slight surprise. "In the middle of the night?" he questioned. "You would do that for me?"

He could have sworn he caught her blush, but it was brief, and she quickly replaced it with a wide, toothy grin.

"I guess." She then turned to shift her gaze to the sketch book, the pens and pencils and other drawing materials that were situated comfortably beside his cell phone. "Do you draw people?" she asked, abruptly.

He followed her stare. "Most of the time, I do. But, I never really get into it."

She blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

For a brief second, Shuichi wondered why he was, once again, spilling all of this to a complete stranger. But, she probably wasn't a _complete_ stranger; not anymore anyway. For whatever reason though, he found himself unable to stop his speech once he had spoken. "I guess I never truly got inspired by anyone. I mean, the drawing's good and I always get a lot of compliments from my friends, but… I don't know, I guess there's just no spark… no flame…" He gave out a crooked grin to himself. "Some of my acquaintances who are also artists always talk about how amazing it feels when the inspiration strikes… how you just can't stop moving your fingers… how the lines just seem to form by themselves… how once you finish, the picture seems to just speak to you… Stupid, I know, but I guess I kind of want to experience that feeling once a while. Although, unfortunately, I have yet relish in the pleasure to."

"It's not stupid," she murmured, "I think it's wonderful."

He returned his attention to her, his emerald irises meeting her beautiful pair of amethysts. Her purple shade seemed to glimmer under the moonlight that shone through the window in the living room, and the smile on her face seemed warmer… gentler than he had ever seen on anyone's before.

His eyes studied the glossy texture of pink mouth for a moment, before flicking up to scrutinize her cute countenance. Before he could stop himself, the words already left his lips,

"Can you model for me?"

Understandably, she was startled, but he kept on staring at her, looking straight into her eyes as if _pleading_ her. She bit her lip, and with each second that ticked by, Shuichi could feel himself growing more and more restless. After a while however, that warm smile of hers found its way to her lips once again.

"Sure," She shrugged, "Why not?"

He couldn't believe how truly overjoyed he felt. "Great." He stood up from the couch. "Hold on a sec. I'm going to turn on the lights." And with that said, he headed for the switch, doing as he just uttered as the lights flicked on, brightening the room.

He went back to her, his hands suddenly feeling cold and clammy as his eyes locked with hers once more. She seemed beautiful in the dark, and prettier with the lights on.

All of a sudden, he felt nervous.

But, of course, he tried not to show it.

However, he failed to regain his composure.

Botan seemed to notice his timidity as she let a soft giggle pour out her lips. "Relax," she told him. "It's just me, Shuichi-kun."

He nodded, vividly aware of the faint blush coloring his now warm cheeks. "Ironic," he tried to kid in order to cool down a little, "I should be the one saying that."

She laughed, louder this time. "You're right, you should." Her mouth curled into a playful grin for a moment, before it took on a more friendly… sincere one. "Anyway, how do you want me?"

Shuichi clearly misinterpreted her words as the flush on his face turned ten shades darker. "Uh… what?"

She looked as if she caught on to what he was thinking as another giggle rumbled in her chest and erupted from her throat. "I didn't mean it like _that_ , silly. I meant, how do you want me posed?"

He couldn't believe he forgot such a crucial thing. "Ah, right. The pose." He nodded, a nervous laughter escaping his lips. Good grief, why did she have such an effect on him? And he hardly even knew her! "Um… anything you like," he responded, before moving to sit on the table.

"Anything."

He nodded once again. "Anything."

She cupped a finger to her chin, tilting her head a little as she considered the kind of posture she would like to do. After a few moments of thinking it through, she shrugged and decided to keep it simple. Crossing her legs together, Botan let one dangle off the other while she took off the hair band that kept her hair up. Shuichi couldn't take his eyes off of her, watching as her silky blue locks cascaded down her shoulders and back gracefully. He stared, drinking in the sight of her long, slender legs, her small waist, and her plump bosom—

"Can we start now, Shuichi-kun?"

It wasn't until she spoke, did he finally snap out of his trance.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure," he mumbled, somehow feeling self-conscious of the blush that was on his cheeks. What was he doing? Here he was, drinking in the sight of her like this was the first time he had ever seen a girl. He expelled a sigh, before opening his sketch book. His pencil seemed to know how to move before he did, and for once… well, for once, he actually felt _alive_. He wasn't sure why. Maybe it was her innocent, sparkling amethyst orbs, or that bright, jovial smile that grazed her honey dew lips, but something about the girl seemed to spark something in him. Something that he had only heard, but never experienced. Until now.

He felt _inspired_.

By the time he was done, he didn't even notice the satisfied smile etched on his face.

"It's finished," he informed her.

Botan perked up in interest. "It is?"

"Yeah. Want to see it?"

"Can I?"

"Sure," He shrugged, "Why not?" She did model for him in the first place, after all.

He handed the sketch book to her, and she gladly took it out of his grasp. He eyed as her features brightened up, a look of awestruck and coming to rest on her sweet little face. "Wow! This is amazing, Shuichi-kun. You're such a great artist."

Shuichi was used to getting showered with praises, but for some reason, he found himself blushing at her compliment. "Thanks," he murmured, a small smile curved at the corners of his lips. "You can keep it if you want."

She looked up to blink at him. "What? Is that okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it is. If you want it, I mean."

Her brows furrowed. "Well, I _do_ think the art's astounding, but… I mean, you put a lot of effort in this, it would feel wrong if I…"

He cut her short, "It's fine. You modeled for me, anyway."

She burst into a fit of laughter, as if she found something amusing. "I just modeled for you, Shuichi-kun. It's not a big deal. All I did was sit here and pull a simple pose."

"No." He shook his head. "That's not all you did, Botan." It was the first time he said her name, and it rolled off his tongue perfectly.

She blinked once again, and cocked her head slightly to the side. "What do you mean?"

"You…" He paused for a second, wondering if he should tell her. He didn't know much about this girl, but for an unknown reason, he found it easier to talk to her than those he had known for a long time. And he did. He told her, "You inspired me."

Her eyes widened, and once again, he caught a pink tinge that developed on her cheeks. "I… I inspired you?"

He nodded his head. "You did." He smiled. "And I have to thank you for giving me a taste of what it's like."

"O-oh," she stammered, and looked down to her hands. Her blush seemed to darken. "I-I can do it again, if you want."

"Come again?"

"Modeling. I can model for you again… if you'd like it, I mean."

The air around them felled silent, as Shuichi, startled over her offer, found himself left utterly speechless. She squirmed on the couch; the longer he remained quiet, the more worried she got that he might say no. She parted her mouth to say something when he didn't, but he quickly cut her short before she could even utter out a word,

"I'd love that." He smiled, and for once, it was a genuine smile. "I'd love that very much."

* * *

Shuichi woke up by the sound of chattering voices from outside the house.

He blinked his half lidded eyes at the ceiling, the remnants of his dreams rapidly being chased away. The speaking voices gradually faded away, and he propped himself up on his elbows. He arched an eyebrow as he finally noticed the warm blue blanket draped on top of his form. This must have been what kept him warm during the night. He didn't remember taking it, so it must have been Botan. A smile curled at the edge of his lips as her name echoed in the recesses of his mind.

Throwing his legs over the couch, Shuichi glanced around in the living room, noting its quiet and peaceful atmosphere. For some reason, he felt at ease here. He got to his feet, and went to look for the owner of the house, calling her name. After a few calls, he stopped as he realized that there was no response. Blinking, Shuichi was about to go up to her room when something caught his eyes.

He sauntered back towards the table near the couch, bending down to grab the piece of folded paper that situated beside his sketch book. He scratched the back of his slightly disheveled red head as he opened it to reveal the words written on the white surface.

 _Hey, I left early for a job interview. Sorry for not telling you, but you looked so peaceful as you slept that I didn't want to bother you. He-he. Anyway, I cooked some food for you, in case you're hungry. It's in the kitchen._

 _B_

He smiled once again as he read the tiny note.

What a nice girl she was, and he owed her an awful lot. Something about her reminded him of his mother who had already passed away… and that wasn't a bad thing. His smile widened as he thought that maybe when Botan was home, he could do something for her in order to repay her kindness.

That was the least he could do.

* * *

Shuichi sat on the couch, tapping his feet impatiently against the floor. He took a deep, calming breath for the umpteenth time that night, standing up to pace around the room back and forth. It was already midnight, and still, there was no sign of Botan. Where had she gone? Did something happen to her? His eyes widened in alarm, panic coursing through every cell of his being as he pondered over the possibility of harm being inflicted on the girl. Distinctly, he could hear the sound of the pouring rain outside, and after a moment of consideration, he decided, oh, what the hell, he was going to look for her.

Grabbing the umbrella leaned against the wall of the entrance, Shuichi halted in his movements just in time for him to place a fist on the doorknob. Shit. He didn't have the key. He could pick the lock… He was sure Botan wouldn't mind it if he was doing this for her sake. However, just as he was about to bent down to the keyhole to initiate his plans, a clicking sound suddenly reached his ears. He nearly jumped in surprise, but managed to compose himself. He watched as the knob turned, and the door pushed, and there she was.

Botan stood there in front of him with a wide smile on her lips, despite her soaking wet clothes clinging tightly to her form, and her strands of blue hair sticking to her face. She held up a brown plastic bag and dangled it in the air. "I bought something from the store. It's…"

"Where were you?" Shuichi cut her off, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her into the house. He didn't notice that he had dropped the umbrella to the floor, nor did he take note of the frantic tone laced in his voice. He stared wide eyed into Botan's equally wide ones. The girl blushed, and averted her gaze to the floor.

"S-sorry, I got caught up with something."

He blinked as she gently tugged her hand out of his grasp. "Got caught up with something?" he echoed, brows furrowing in confusion. She didn't justify him with a response, and merely took off her shoes and stepped into the hallway.

That was when he saw the red color that was on the back of her shirt, turning the green fabric brown. It didn't take him long to figure out what it was.

Chasing after her, Shuichi took hold of her wrist one more time, watching as the girl dropped the plastic bag in her hands, startled by his sudden actions. Neither seemed to notice the cup of ramen that rolled out of the bag, stopping as it hit the couch, as both just stood there gazing at each other for what felt like forever.

Shuichi was the first to break off the silence. "You're bleeding," he stated more than asked, and his grip on her tightened a bit, "What happened?"

Botan seemed to avoid his gaze as she looked down to her feet. "Nothing," she whispered, her voice soft and barely audible.

He narrowed his eyes. "Liar," he grimly replied. "I saw the blood on your shirt."

"It's nothing, really," she told him again, trying to sound firmer this time, only to fail miserably as her voice broke at the last word. She tugged at her wrist in an attempt to break free of his vice like hold, but her efforts were fruitless. "It's just… it's just…"

"Just what, Botan?" he asked in a gentle voice as her head turned downcasted. Silence engulfed them once more, and that was when he noticed something.

Vividly, he could see the crystalline tears that cascaded her cheeks, and the heartbreaking sight caused him to swiftly cup her cheek, tilting her head upwards so he could see her face. Her pools of amethyst reflected sadness and loneliness as she stared back at him, her trembling lips opening and closing like a fish, as if she wanted to tell something to him, but couldn't find the words.

"Botan," He wiped her tears away, "Tell me what's wrong."

And that was it. That was all it took, and she broke into tears, throwing herself into his arms as she cried her eyes out. He embraced her, running a hand soothingly through her hair as he whispered comforting words into her ear.

It took her half an hour to finally calm down, and by then, they were already sitting on the couch.

"I'm sorry," she started, a soft hiccup involuntarily leaving her lips, "That was so embarrassing, crying in front of you like that."

He shook his head, giving her a reassuring smile. "No, it wasn't. It's fine." Before he knew it, his hand was already reaching out to hers. Botan didn't object, but she blushed and gaped at their joined hands and intertwined fingers. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

The rosy shade on her cheeks quickly dissipated as the question escaped his lips. Her face crestfallen, and once again, she felled silent. He feared that he might be asking her something too personal or forcing her to remember some painful memories, so he made to tell her that it was alright even if she didn't want to tell him anything. But, she briskly cut him short,

"I was with my dad."

He blinked. "Your dad?"

"Yeah, my dad." A bitter smile suddenly crossed her lips. "He and my mom divorced three years ago. My mom lives in America right now, but I used to live with my dad. I…" She took a shaky breath, "My dad… he changed after he and mom separated. He was never the same. He—he used to beat me a lot." She bit her lip to stifle a sob, even though the tears were already falling down her cheeks uncontrollably. "I—I started living on my own to run away from him. I didn't even tell him where I was going… I just… I just went and left. And just now… after the job interview… I… I accidentally crossed paths with him. He was really pissed at me. I tried to escape, but…" She trailed off, unable to continue as she broke into harsh sobs. "I-I'm sorry," she uttered between her wailing, "I-I don't know what got into me when I told you that…"

He shook his head. "No, it's okay." He wrapped an arm around her, careful enough to be gentle so as to not hurt her any further than she already was. "Hey, are you alright?"

She shook. "No," but she seemed to calm down a little as her crying came to a stop. She sent him an apologetic grin. "Sorry for forcing you to listen to my problems. It really doesn't have anything to do with you, but… I don't know, it feels easy to talk to you." She shrugged, her grin taking on a more sheepish approach. "Stupid, huh?"

"You didn't force me into anything," he told her firmly, "and it's not stupid." It was true for him, as well. He stood up from the couch. "Wait here, I'm going to get the aid kit. It's in the top drawer in the kitchen, right? I happened to find it when you cooked me that delicious breakfast from earlier."

Blood immediately rushed to her cheeks, heating her face up at the praise he threw her way. She gave him a shy smile, and a nod of the head, but said nothing.

"Sorry for all the trouble," she murmured.

He shook his head, a small smile reaching its way to his lips. "Don't mention it, it's my pleasure."

* * *

The past four days had been dreadful.

He and Botan hadn't been talking much to one another lately, aside from her asking him what she should cook for him or telling him that she was on the leave for another job interview – and it was killing Shuichi from the inside. It felt as if a snake was coiling around his heart each time he saw her spare a fleeting glance his way, but uttered nothing.

He hoped that it wasn't because she suddenly felt uncomfortable over blurting out her own personal life problems to him, even if he was a stranger she only knew for seven days, but suspected that that was the case. Except, she didn't feel like a stranger to him. Not really. She felt… like somehow he knew for a long time. A fact that made the silence between them all the more unbearable.

To make matters worse, tomorrow was his last day staying over at her place. He would have to go back to Tokyo soon. He didn't want to leave. He didn't want to have to leave her.

Who knows when would be the next time he could see her again?

He snapped out of his reverie as the sound of the glass breaking, followed by a loud cry of 'Ouch' suddenly reverberated from the kitchen and into his ears. Alarmed that something bad might have occurred to Botan, Shuichi quickly stood up from his chair, his drawing at the time swiftly forgotten as he ran for the kitchen entrance.

As he stepped in, his eyes caught the sight of Botan curled like a ball on the cold, tiled floor, her hands grabbing onto her bleeding foot, as if trying to stop the blood from oozing out of her gashing wound. In one swift motion, he rushed to her side, grabbing her by the knees as he carried her bridal style towards the living room.

Neither said a word as Shuichi headed back to the kitchen to fetch for the aid kit. And neither uttered anything even as he was bandaging her feet.

It wasn't until he felt a warm hand cup his cheeks, long, tender fingers running across his skin, did he finally flick his head up to look at her. His gaze met hers, and before he knew it, he was already leaning in, their mouth merely inches from each other.

And when his lips touched hers, he could have sworn it was _magical_.

* * *

"W-wait, Shuichi-kun," Botan let out a sharp gasp as his hot mouth suddenly attached itself to her smooth neck, nipping gently at the soft flesh, "I-I don't want you to think that I do this sort of thing," A startled cry rumbled in her chest as his hands abruptly found her hips, giving the plump mounds a firm squeeze, "o-often."

One thing lead to another, and they were on her bed, Shuichi on top of Botan with their legs intertwined together.

Shuichi trailed his lips lower until it reached her collarbone. He darted his tongue out to give it an experimental lick, a satisfied smirk tugging at his lips as the girl shivered from underneath him. "I don't," he told her, one of his hands teasingly and stealthily gliding up her skirt.

"Wait," she stopped him, grabbing his wrist before he could venture further. He looked up at her, smiling at her flushed face. "I don't want to do this. Not until I tell you how I feel."

He blinked, but took his hand out of her skirt anyway as he quirked an eyebrow at her, gesturing her to go on. The girl fidgeted, glancing her irises here and there in her room, before shifting them to him. "I-I…" She took a deep breath. "I love you."

His emerald eyes widened, and his mouth parted to say something. But, she shushed him as she placed a finger on his lips; a signal for him to keep quiet while she gave him her speech. A smile crossed her lips as Shuichi's lips clamp shut, a bright crimson shade coming to rest on her cheeks as she went on, "I know we've only known each other for a week. But… but… oh, I don't know. You're just so different from the other guys. And… and after you told me that I inspired you… I just… couldn't stop thinking about you. And there was that night…" She inhaled a deep breath. "I-I started avoiding you because… I didn't want to get hurt. I mean, we don't even know one another that much, but… but look at me, I'm already like a simpering schoolgirl fawning over a hot idol." She smiled as he let out a chuckle at her words. "I felled in love with you, even though you were a complete stranger." Her smile dropped as her lovely features turned serious. "But… but that's just the thing, Shuichi-kun… you don't _feel_ like a stranger."

As she was done with her confession, the air was silent. Neither said a word for a few moments, Shuichi smiling at her and Botan blushing under his unwavering gaze.

Then, all of a sudden, he bent down and kissed her on the lips.

"You remind me of my mother," he murmured against her mouth, "She passed away a year ago."

Her eyes widened. "Oh… I'm sorry, I—"

"No." He shook his head. "It's not a bad thing," and he gave her another breathtaking kiss, "That's one of the reasons I love you."

* * *

Shuichi stared at Botan's serene sleeping face, his gaze loving and affectionate as he drank in the sight of her pink, glossy lips and long eyelashes. Her chest heaved up and down in time with her steady breathing, her bare shoulders porcelain with a tinge of slight pink. She seemed like an angel as she laid there, her blue hair falling all over the pillow and mingling with his red locks, creating a unique, picturesque view under the moonlight that shone through the window. Abruptly, he felt a sudden urge to stroke her hair, his fingers weaving through her mane, running and curling around her strands of sky blue. The featherlike sensations that followed his soft touches seemed to awaken the girl, as her eyelids slowly fluttered open, revealing her beautiful pools of amethysts. She smiled at him, and he returned the smile with his own, bringing a strand of her hair to his lips and placing a kiss on it.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," and he said back.

Her smile wavered slightly. "You're leaving tomorrow, aren't you?" she asked, her voice low and barely audible.

His lips curled upwards into a sincerely apologetic smile. "Yes, I am," He stopped running his hand through her hair as he cupped her cheek, his smile changing into a deep-promised one as he went on, "But I will come back."

She stared at him with eyes wide with hope. "You will?"

He nodded in affirmation. "I will," and he leaned in, crushing his lips with hers; a seal, a promise.

He smiled into the kiss as he felt her fingers trace lazy circles on his bare chest. "Can you do me a favor?"

She pulled apart to study him. "What favor?"

"Next time I see you… can you model for me again?"

She nodded, and he couldn't help but widen his smile. "You sure?" he inquired again.

"Yes." She giggled. "I did promise, didn't I?" she stated with a teasing edge in her voice, before cupping his cheeks and bringing him in for another kiss, "I'd model for you anytime you want."

He laughed, and deepened the kiss at the same time, "Good."

She suddenly broke off the lip lock, another giggle pouring out her lips. "Next time I see you, you'd better give me a better drawing, buster," she joked, playfully punching a fist against his fist. Her giggle turned into a fit of laughter as he faked a wince, feigning hurt in return.

He laughed with her, wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulled her impossibly closer. "That wouldn't be so hard," he responded with a sly, lopsided grin.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh? Seems to me like you have a lot of confidence in your skills…" she teased.

"No, that's not it," He smiled, and slammed his lips against hers one more time, "It's just that you're so beautiful."


End file.
